Break-apart flue support strut and attachment strap

ABSTRACT

An exhaust flue support includes an elongate flue strut having a non-flat channel portion integral with a flat portion; and a mounting strap, these parts formed from a common piece of sheet metal and joined together by plural frangible tabs whereby the strap is easily broken away from the strut. The strap has fastening elements for joining the opposing ends. The flat portion of the strut provides a bendable tab capable of joining the strut to the strap when the strap encircles an exhaust flue.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Present Disclosure

This disclosure relates generally to the support of exhaust flue pipes and vents and more particularly to an apparatus capable of providing connected but easily broken apart sheet metal portions for supporting such conduits with an elongate strut and companion strap.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

Reynoso, U.S., Des 257947 discloses a design for a bracket for mounting a heater vent pipe between joists and rafters. Williamson, U.S. 851720 discloses a flue support consisting of two parallel spaced U-shaped metal straps having their extremities turned outwardly at right angles in a common plane, and a pair of independently formed parallel spaced cross-straps, disposed upon the web portions of the U-shaped straps and having their ends turned downwardly against the outer edges of the webs of the U-shaped straps, whereby longitudinal displacement of the cross-straps from the U-shaped straps is prevented. Grissom, U.S. 973777 discloses a flue base, a pair of supports spaced from each other, each support being of substantially U-shape and having outwardly bent and down-turned hook like ends for engagement with adjacent joists, and a centrally perforated flat plate normally resting upon the cross connecting portions of the supports and having notches formed in opposite side edges receiving the vertical leg portions of the supports, whereby the plate will be held against displacement with respect to the latter without the use of fasteners. Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,127,844 discloses a device comprising in combination a pair of U-shaped stirrups the legs of which are bent to hook formation at their terminals to adapt them to engage over spaced supports, the stirrups lying in space relation to each other, bars extending between the stirrups with their ends resting upon the stirrups, the stirrups and the bars together comprising an open, rectangular and continuous support and a sheet metal plate supported upon the bars and the stirrups and completely overlying the bars and the horizontal portions of the stirrups the plate serving as a base and a closure for the bottom of a brick flue, the bars and the stirrups underlying the line of the bricks of which the flue is made and the plate having an opening formed therein for the reception of a stove pipe. Legg, U.S. Pat. No. 1,342,918 discloses a flue with an open bottom having a pipe entering the open end thereof, of a flue pan arranged beneath the open bottom of the flue provided with a central aperture adapted to receive the pipe and a tubular member secured to the pan and extending upwardly into the flue surrounding the pipe, the tubular member being provided on the upper end thereof with a resilient flange engaging the pipe. Epstein, U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,326 discloses a spacer comprising: an elongated strip of deformable sheet metal formed with a longitudinal series of transverse extensions severed from the strip along their opposite sides and one end only, and bent outward from the strip along the other end which extensions are additionally bent adjacent the first end at a distance from the strip beyond the deformable limits of the strip-secured metal to provide footing portions collectively adapted to abut against the perimeter of a structure around which the strip may be wound so as to space the same apart therefrom, and means for fastening the wound strip to a supporting structure the strip of metal having longitudinally extending dimples stiffening the strip at the junctures of the respective extensions at their other ends, the stiffening dimples terminating at stations spaced from the junctures and defining unstiffened transverse bend lines for the strip between the extensions. Epstein, U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,511 discloses a hanger for a vertical vent pipe, the hanger comprising a vent pot means having a side and a bottom to receive the lower end of a support pipe, the hanger further comprising bracket means adapted to be supported on adjacent ceiling joists, hanger bar means supported on the bracket means, and the pot supported on the hanger bar means, the bracket means comprising a sheet metal body including a surface for securement against the side of one of the joists and having means offset from the plane of the surface, vertical slots formed in the offset means, the slots each having a downwardly tapered upper end portion and an enlarged lower end potion, the hanger bar means being horizontally supportable on the bracket means and having compressible end portions normally thicker than the slots at their narrowest tapered portions adapted to be snapped downwardly into individual slots, the bar means being longitudinally adjustable in the slots, the pot including a bottom and a side wall, the side wall of the pot having receiving means for the bar, the bar means being longitudinally slidable in the bar receiving means, the bar receiving means including portions normally frictionally gripping the bar. Goldstone, U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,342 discloses a vent pipe support including a frame adapted to be secured to spaced portions of a building, the frame including spaced members adapted to extend between the spaced building portions; a pipe supporting bucket having opposed, generally parallel end walls; brackets secured to the end walls and spaced therefrom in generally parallel relation thereto to provide guideways between the brackets and end walls to receive the spaced members with the bracket s and bucket supported on the space members, the sides of each guideway being defined by an end wall and a bracket secured to the end wall. Lane, U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,740 discloses a hanger for flue pipes comprising, a generally rectangular frame structure adapted to span a pair of spaced beans and to be secured thereto, a horizontally disposed clamping ring adapted to receive and hold a vertically disposed flue pipe against axial movements, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced centering brackets interposed between the clamping ring and the frame structure the brackets including vertical ears secured to the clamping ring, horizontal ears detachably secured to the frame structure, and angular body portions, the body portions defining radially inwardly projecting elements which are adapted to engage circumferentially space portions of a flue pipe in axially space relation to the clamping ring, whereby to hold the flue against angular movements with respect to the axis of the clamping ring. Stone, U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,468 discloses a support assembly for securing a prefabricated metal chimney or the like to a sloped roof and comprising a pair of bracket members adapted to be fixed to rafters on opposite sides of the chimney, each being adjustably connected to a plate member which is fixed to the chimney so that the chimney can be held vertically despite the degree of roof slope. Lane, U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,350 discloses a readily applicable device for use when the user is called upon to install a sheet material vent pipe. It comprises a simple adapter plate having a central opening for insertable and adjustable passage of a conventional type vent pipe, the apertured portion of the plate being encompassed by overhanging coordinating tabs. These tabs have upwardly flexed or canted inner ends which are slightly resilient and which embrace and yieldingly as well as retentively engage that portion of the vent pipe surrounded thereby.

The related art described above discloses several methods known and in use for engaging and securing a vent flue. However, the prior art fails to disclose plural struts fabricated from a single piece of sheet metal and although interconnect for commercial sale, may be easily broken apart for use in securing flue vents. The present disclosure distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

The prior art described above as well as common practice in the construction trades provides methods and means for securing flue vents and pipes of all types. However there does not appear in the prior art to be a cost effective and convenient to use standoff strut that is able to be mounted to almost any surface and joined to a flue by a simple strap with a connection that does not require hardware to join the strut to the strap. The present invention provides such an apparatus and overcomes the jury-rigging approaches in common practice. Described herein is an exhaust flue support apparatus made up of an elongate flue supporting strut and companion strap. Both of these elements are fabricated from a single piece of sheet metal and are joined by frangible tabs for easily breaking them apart. In one embodiment, several of these two-part assemblies are made from a single piece of sheet metal and are packaged and sold as a group of flue support struts with attached straps for use as needed. The fact that the parts are made at the same time by the same processes of forming and punching, and that they are connected as a single sheet enables low cost and simplified inventorying and convenient carrying to the job site, setting at the job site, i.e. standing it up vertically to take up almost no floor space room when in tight quarters and is therefore an example of a truly significant advance in the art.

A primary objective inherent in the above described apparatus and method of use is to provide advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide a simple flue support strut that has attached to it a removable strap for securing the strut to a flue.

A further objective is to manufacture plural identical units from a single piece of sheet metal by fabrication steps that finish all of the parts at the same time and without separating them so as to achieve cost effective production.

A still further objective is to provide a set of identical units easily broken away from each other in order to use each one as needed and to conveniently store remaining units for use at a later time.

A yet further objective is to prepare a plurality of sheet metal parts from a single piece of sheet metal with small tabs attaching the parts together so that they may be easily separated by work hardening the tabs through manual bending until they break apart.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of its use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s):

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one unit of the presently described apparatus shown as used in one possible application;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a plurality of units of the present apparatus shown as fabricated from a single portion of sheet metal after punching and dimpling operations but prior to a bending operation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the units a separated from the plurality shown in FIG. 2 and prior to the bending operation; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof showing the separated unit after bending and with a strap of the unit separated from the strut of the unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use.

A first embodiment of the presently described apparatus is shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus is an exhaust flue support comprising an elongate flue strut 10 having a non-flat channel portion 12 integral with a flat portion 14. The apparatus further includes a mounting strap 20. The strut 10 and strap 20 are formed from a common piece of sheet metal, as shown in FIG. 3, and are joined together by plural frangible tabs 30, whereby the strap 20 is easily broken away from the strut 10 by bending one of the parts relative to the other, a technique that is well known in the art. The frangible tabs 30 are portions of the sheet metal that remain after the sheet metal has been punched to form the two parts. To insure that the tabs 30 do not break prematurely, during handling for instance, certain tabs 30′ must be cut with a tin snips tool prior to break-bending tabs 30. The strap 20 provides at its opposing ends 22′ and 22″ fastening elements 24, preferably holes, as shown, for joining the opposing ends 22′ and 22″ by common hardware such as threaded screws and nuts 40 shown in FIG. 1. The fastening elements 24 further preferably include piercings or dimples placed to the sides of the holes and which are used for preventing a nut from turning when installing or removing the strap 20. The flat portion 14 of strut 10 provides, at one end 16, a bendable tab 18 capable of joining the strut 10 to the strap 20 when the strap 20 encircles an exhaust flue 5 as shown in FIG. 1.

Preferably, the channel portion 12 and the flat portion 14 of the strut 10 are perforated, for instance with holes, enabling the securement of the strut 10 to a surface as shown in FIG. 1. Such securement may be by use of nails as shown, screws or other common hardware.

Preferably, the channel portion 12 is V-shaped or U-shaped in cross section for rigidity and, as stated above, joined with the flat portion integrally as best shown in FIG. 3 wherein the strut has not yet been bent to final shape. In this figure the phantom lines delineate where bending is to occur resulting in the finished part as shown in FIG. 4.

In a further embodiment of the present apparatus, the flue strut 10 and strap 20 are referred to as a unit 15. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of such units 15 are formed from a single piece of sheet metal, wherein the units 15 are mutually joined by frangible tabs and are easily broken apart by manual bending of the frangible tabs 30 as discussed above. Again, as above, each of the flue support units 15 comprises an elongate strut 10 having a non-flat channel portion 12 integral with a flat portion 14; and a mounting strap 20 whereby the strut 10 and strap 20 are joined by the frangible tabs 30 so as to be easily broken apart by manual bending of the frangible tabs 30. As above, in each of the units 15, the strap 20 provides, at its opposing ends 22′ and 22″, fastening elements 24 for joining the opposing ends 22′ and 22″, and the flat portion 14 of the strut 10 provides, at one end, a bendable tab 18 in a position enabling it to join the strut 10 to the strap 20 when the strap 20 encircles an exhaust flue 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the joining is by placing the tab 18 under the strap 20 and then bending the tab 18 around the strap 20 as clearly shown in FIG. 1. In this manner, the exhaust flue 5 may be supported from more than one direction and is rigidly held. As described above, in each of the units 15, at least one of the channel portion 12 and the flat portion 14 is perforated for securement to a surface, and the channel portion is V-shaped or U-shaped so as to provide rigidity to the strut 10. By fabricating plural units 15 at the same time, i.e., using fabricating techniques such as punching, drawing, bending, and shearing, the cost of each unit is brought to an effective level for competing in the commercial marketplace. Further, the attachment of plural units 15 to each other makes it easier to inventory, ship, stock and sell the apparatus. Still further, the fact that plural units 15 are mutually attached and easily separated makes it convenient to the worker who will find it easier to maintain a stock of units 15 on hand and at the worksite.

The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.

Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.

The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented. 

1. An exhaust flue support apparatus comprising: an elongate flue strut having a non-flat channel portion integral with a flat portion; and a mounting strap; the strut and strap formed from a common piece of sheet metal and joined together by plural frangible tabs whereby the strap is easily broken away from the strut; the strap providing at opposing ends thereof, fastening elements for joining the opposing ends, the flat portion of the strut providing, at one end, a bendable tab capable of joining the strut to the strap when the strap encircles an exhaust flue.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the channel portion and the flat portion of the strut are perforated for securement to a surface.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the channel portion is one of V-shaped and U-shaped.
 4. An exhaust flue support apparatus comprising: a plurality of flue support units formed from a single piece of sheet metal, wherein the units are mutually joined by frangible tabs, the units being easily broken apart by manual bending of the frangible tabs; each of the flue support units providing: a) an elongate strut having a non-flat channel portion integral with a flat portion; and b) a mounting strap; the strut and strap joined by the frangible tabs so as to be easily broken apart by manual bending of the frangible tabs; the strap providing at opposing ends thereof, fastening elements for joining the opposing ends, the flat portion of the strut providing, at one end, a bendable tab in a position capable of joining the strut to the strap when the strap encircles an exhaust flue.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein, in each of the units, at least one of the channel portion and the flat portion is perforated for securement to a surface.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein, in each of the units, the channel portion is one of V-shaped and U-shaped.
 7. An exhaust flue support apparatus comprising: an elongate flue strut having a non-flat channel portion; and a mounting strap; the strut and strap formed from a common piece of sheet metal and joined together by plural frangible tabs whereby the strap is easily broken away from the strut; the strap providing at opposing ends thereof, fastening elements for joining the opposing ends, the strut providing, at one end, a bendable tab capable of joining the strut to the strap when the strap encircles an exhaust flue. 